


In The Cold

by teaandtumblr



Category: Indiana Jones Series
Genre: Angst, father/son relationship, importing from ff.net, old fic, relationship building, set after kingdom of crystal skull, some mention of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 08:13:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1597862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaandtumblr/pseuds/teaandtumblr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>.:.set after KotCS.:. Mutt and Indy get into a fight over Mutt's most recent 'incident' at school. When Mutt runs away, whose will is stronger; father or son's?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Argument

**In The Cold**

**Synopsis:** [KotCS] Mutt and Indy get into a fight over Mutt's most recent 'incident' at school. When Mutt runs away, whose will is stronger; father or son's?

**Author's Notes:** This is set about six months after KotCS.

**Disclaimer:** I obviously do not own Indiana Jones, any of the related characters or any of Spielberg's and Lucas' intelligence.

**Characters:** Mutt Williams, Indiana Jones. _**Mentioned**_ : Marion Ravenwood-Williams-Jones ( _I mean, seriously_ ) and OC, Trent Bachelor

**Words:** 1, 459

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

Going back to school had been a bad idea. In fact, it had probably been the worst idea either of his parents had ever come up with.

He didn't belong at school and didn't his classmates know it. The son of the famous Doctor Henry Jones. He'd dropped out and then come back. Everyone instantly assumed that he was stupid - okay, so maybe the pompadour didn't help - or worse, that his mom hadn't been able to afford his school fees and so decided to marry Doctor Jones for his money. It was the one assumption that Mutt hated above all else. He could handle being called stupid, though even that usually ended in fists flying.

That was part of the reason why he was currently counting off all the reasons why he shouldn't have come back to school. He supposed that it all came down to, or at least had something to do with, Trent Bachelor.

On his first day of school, Mutt'd come roaring in on his motorbike - one final act of defiance against his parents. On his first day of school he'd spent the entire afternoon repairing his bike after what Trent and his pals had done to it. It was a complete lie to say that his parents were sympathetic; they had told him to leave it at home and catch the bus.

Needless to say, the next day Trent had come out of school to find scratches all down his car's exterior. It was a total coincidence that the knife marks had been the exact same width as the blade on his switchblade. Well, that was what Mutt had insisted.

It was a whole week before he made his next mistake. Out of pure habit, Mutt had corrected his teacher - "It's not Henry, it's Mutt". It never ceased to amaze him how such a simple nickname could become such a cruel weapon. The insults came thick and fast after that. It wasn't too much of a surprise to Mutt that Trent had since made frequent use of the term 'son-of-a-bitch' whenever he was within earshot. It didn't really help that his parents had broken off before their wedding and Doctor Jones had only learnt about him six months ago. Although, how the entire school knew that, he'd never know. Actually, he probably didn't want to know.

The consistent taunting of practically his entire grade - most people hated 'the greaser' and everyone else was too scared to stand up for him - wore Mutt down so much that he didn't even bother to try and create come-backs. After a few weeks, the rules were understood by everyone.

1\. Insult Mutt a little and he'd take it.

2\. Push Mutt too far and he'd have you kissing asphalt before you fully understood what was happening.

The only exception to this rule was Trent. _Everything_ Trent said pushed Mutt too far and fights after school became a regular occurrence. Mutt never backed down from a fight - his mom had made him too proud for that - but he had to admit, he didn't know how many more fights with Trent he could take.

Trent was smart, probably the only aspect about him Mutt found even remotely interesting. He wasn't just muscle; there was a brain in that thick skull of his. Every fight left Mutt covered with injuries of some kind, but never noticeable. His chest, back, shoulders and legs were more often than not peppered with bruises. The odd limp or hurt arm could always be explained by means of a motorbike accident.

And it wasn't as if Mutt was going to run home and cry to mom. He was grown up now. He could take care of himself. Still, Mutt did wonder if Trent also had enough IQ to fear his mom. It was - embarrassingly - well known that Marion Jones would fight anyone that dared to harm her baby. Trent would be no exception and Mutt was pretty sure that he knew it.

Mutt shook his head to clear his thoughts as the bus pulled up at the stop, appearing orange thanks to the setting sun. Mutt sighed as he clambered onto the bus, mentally counting the stops as it drove through town. No matter how much blame he put on Trent, it wouldn't spare him from his father's wrath. Besides, he supposed he couldn't blame it all on Trent. With a groan, Mutt screwed up his eyes and put his head in his palms. Why did mom have to pick _this_ week to go and visit the Ox? Couldn't she have gone another week? Or better yet, taken him with her? If she'd been home, he could have appealed to her before having to talk to dad. She might have been a little more lenient, partially because he'd tell her the whole truth and partially because he was her baby.

That thought made him sit back in disgust. Did he seriously just call himself mom's 'baby'?

He looked up as the bus pulled up at his stop. Grabbing his bag, he jumped off and watched the bus drive away with an air of despair. As it disappeared around a bend he began trudging home. He was absolutely positive that the world hated him today. He'd overslept, missed his mom's call, and he'd been late to school because his motorbike had refused to start no matter how much he kicked and caressed it, and he'd done both alternatively and excessively.

' _I should really check that out actu-'_

"Henry Jones Junior!" The sharp tone snapped Mutt's head up and he saw his father, Indiana Jones, all six foot of him, standing at the front door, eyes practically burning with fury. "Inside now."

Mutt bowed his head as he ducked passed his dad and sat down at the kitchen table, playing with the hem of his sleeve nervously.

"I just got a call from the school," Indy said in a tone that was completely devoid of humour. "They informed me that you were suspended for-"

"Dad, it's not-"

"Do not try and get out of this son," he interrupted. "I know exactly what happened and I think you're an embarrassment to this family!"

"Oh so you suddenly know what happened at school, huh Pops?"

"You're on thin ice Junior, don't push me."

"What the hell would you know?" Mutt demanded. He was now on his feet, chair tipped over behind him, eyes glaring up at his father's.

"I know that you don't want to be at school and you're trying to get out of it the only way you think you can," Indy answered coldly.

Mutt couldn't help but give a small chuckle.

"Right," he ran a hand through his hair, not caring what his pompadour would now look like - which certainly said something. "That's what you think this is all about?"

"That's exactly what this is all about!"

"No dad!" Mutt yelled, tears rebelliously forming in his eyes. "Just listen to my side of th-"

"There is no 'your-side' Mutt!"

"There are two sides to every story," Mutt countered.

It was Indy's turn to chuckle.

"Not every story kid. Now…"

Indy's next words were lost as Mutt replayed the last words he'd just said: _"Not every story"_. Is that what Indy really thought? Mutt blinked back tears furiously, ignoring his dad's orders and turning away from him.

It didn't seem fair. He'd been trying hard at school, no matter how much he hated it; trying to get good grades, trying to get his mom to think of him as something more than a failure and, above all else, trying to get Indy to love him. And what did he get for all his hard work? Mom going away and his so-called father yelling at him. He shouldn't have to take this, he didn't want to take it, and he just couldn't take it right now on top of everything else.

"Are you even listening?" Indy bellowed, cutting into Mutt's reverie and making him turn back to face him.

"No."

The simple, blunt answer caused Indy to pause in a moment of disbelief and shock. It gave Mutt enough time to get to the front door and open it. One hand still grasped on the handle, he looked over his shoulder.

"When mom comes back, tell her I'm sorry for being a failure."

He slipped out a door and then caught it just before it closed, facing the street but still talking to his dad.

"And sorry for not being good enough for you to love."

With that, he slammed the door shut and ran out into the night, wanting nothing more than to get away and be alone.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()


	2. Rain

**Synopsis:** [KotCS] Mutt and Indy get into a fight over Mutt's most recent 'incident' at school. When Mutt runs away, whose will is stronger; father or son's?

**Author's Notes:** This is set about six months after KotCS.

**Disclaimer:** I obviously do not own Indiana Jones, any of the related characters or any of Spielberg's and Lucas' intelligence.

**Characters:** Mutt Williams, Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood.

**Words:** 1, 464

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

Indiana Jones couldn't believe what had just happened. He just stood there, staring at the closed front door, brain clicking over at a million miles an hour and yet doing nothing at all. Mutt's statement, " _and sorry for not being good enough for you to love_ ," kept playing over in his mind. There had been no sarcasm in his son's voice when he'd said that - just brutal, painful honesty.

Was that what Mutt truly thought? That he was unloved by him? That Marion thought of him as a failure? He sighed shakily and ran a hand across his face. Mutt ran a hand through his hair, Indy recalled. God, was Mutt so upset that he didn't even care what his hair looked like? And when was the last time he'd driven his motorbike to school, or driven it hands down for that matter? He felt guilt eat away at his insides - okay, maybe being a dad wasn't as easy as he'd first thought.

The sudden ringing of the telephone grabbed his attention. With shock, and a large amount of unease, he knew who it would be. He swallowed nervously before picking up the receiver.

"Hello, Doctor Jones speaking."

"Do you just sit by that phone Indy? I swear, everytime it rings you pick it up."

"Well maybe because I'm always closest."

A small laugh came down the line before Marion started talking again.

"I know I rang this morning and you're probably eating dinner-" Indy looked over at the bare table sheepishly "-but I just wanted to say hello to Mutt. I missed him this morning."

"Uh…honey-"

"I know he's probably busy with that damn bike of his but-"

"He's not here," Indy interrupted, placing his life on the line.

"Well where is he then?" Marion's voice was now laced with confusion.

There was nothing left but to tell her everything now. If she found out he'd kept this from her, well… some things were just better left unknown.

"We had a…disagreement…and he ran away. I'm not sure where he is."

Indy held his breath as oppressive silence met his ears. He counted down slowly in his head. Two…one…zero.

"INDIANA JONES!" Marion yelled. "You go and find my son this instant! I don't want to hear a word out of you until he's home safe!"

And with that Marion hung up.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

Mutt kicked a broken beer bottle across the sidewalk dejectedly. His head was hanging down and he'd shoved his hands into his jeans' pockets to stop himself from constantly reaching for his comb. The rain pouring down made it impossible for his hair to stay in its usual pompadour. Instead, he simply let his curls hang down limply, water dripping off them as the rain continued its onslaught. He didn't mind that he was soaked, - in actual fact he hadn't even noticed - he was just concentrating on getting as far away from home as possible.

Finally noticing that his feet were aching, he turned into a nearby alley and sat down on an upturned trashcan. It was a slight consolation to him that his day couldn't get any worse. There wasn't exactly anything else that the world could throw at him. He shook his head - like a dog drying itself after a bath - and sent droplets flying.

Then, as if the world had heard his earlier thoughts, his situation managed to become worse. He heard a voice call out to him from a couple of feet away.

"Hey you son-of-a-bitch!"

Looking up dully he saw Trent's pals standing around him, all seeming to be itching for a fight.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to Trent," one of them said.

Was his name Elliot or Robbie? In Mutt's opinion - not that anyone wanted it - they all looked, sounded, acted and even smelt the same. They were living proof that evolution was fake; no monkey, ape or chimpanzee could be _that_ dumb and still survive.

"You got anything to say?" Someone else sneered, practically daring him to answer.

' _Yeah, just piss off,'_ he thought, but he couldn't be bothered to open his mouth.

"Aw what's the matter mongrel?"

' _Oh you are just overflowing with intelligence,_ ' Mutt thought sarcastically.

"I heard mommy left you to get laid. Is Professor Oxley gonna be your new dad?"

That was enough to snap Mutt out of his depressed state. He launched himself at the guy who had dared to insult his mom, grinning maniacally when his fist connected with a jaw with a sharp crack. Almost as soon as the grin reached his face he realised that he was seriously out-numbered and, more than likely, totally over-powered. One down didn't mean much when there where still three more coming at you - especially if the one you just knocked down got up again.

Mutt took a subconscious step back as the four guys crowded around him, taking steps closer and closer. He stumbled back into the alley wall as a fist made contact with his head. It took a few moments for Mutt's vision to re-align itself and for the white spots to fade away.

He'd just recovered from the first blow when the domino effect started - that was, as soon as someone got a hit in everyone else suddenly wanted to join. Within minutes Mutt found it difficult to locate a part of him that didn't feel like it was either on fire or throbbing like hell.

Then, through the stinging rain, he heard a foreign yet familiar voice amidst all the others. And then the torture stopped, accompanied by the sound of footsteps running away. Mutt breathed a sigh of relief and let his body slide down the alley wall, sitting down on the concrete. Wet concrete, he realised with a grimace.

And then there was someone crouching down in front of him. He looked up blankly, head still fuzzy from the bashing he'd just received. As soon as he realised what he was seeing he blinked again just to make sure he wasn't imagining it. Indy was crouching in front of him, eyes full of worry, concern and a tinge of anger that wasn't - thankfully - aimed at him.

"You okay kid?" Indy asked, putting a hand on his arm.

"I'm fine," Mutt answered, running on auto-pilot. His head turned away, facing the depths of the alley. He was in for it now, he was sure.

"Who were they?"

Mutt didn't answer, still staring down the alley. Indy sighed, reaching out his other hand and using it to turn Mutt's head back towards him. The flinch Mutt gave when Indy's hand made contact with him drove a knife straight into Indy's heart. Was Mutt truly that afraid of him? Did he think that Indiana was going to strike him?

"Mutt," he called kindly.

Mutt was visibly taken aback by the warm tone in his voice - _'I'm not gonna get it?_ ' - and looked up at him, studying his father intently.

"Who were those guys?" Indy asked again, gentler this time.

"Just some people from school," Mutt replied with a shrug.

That made Indy raise an eyebrow - this was the first he'd ever heard of such instances. Mutt noticed and shifted uncomfortably on the ground. The last thing he needed, and wanted, right now was his parents finding out about what happened at school. He was old enough to deal with bullies.

He'd taken on the KGB, been over waterfalls, been bitten by a _huge_ scorpion and had seen aliens for God's sake. School should have been a breeze. It was probably the fact that it wasn't that threw Mutt so much. In many ways, it was almost harder than the whole ordeal with the crystal skull. At least he hadn't been alone back then.

A brief shake brought him out of his thoughts and he saw his dad standing over him. As he met his father's eyes, Indy looked away guiltily, recognising most of the emotions flooding his son's eyes and being unable to face them knowing that he was probably the cause of them all.

"I was thinking…" Indy cleared his throat nervously, looking anywhere but into Mutt's eyes. "I was thinking that maybe there are two sides to every story. Let's get a burger and you can tell me okay? What do you say to that huh kid?"

Mutt smiled a small smile.

"That sounds good," he answered in that incredibly honest tone he had that left you in no doubt that he was telling the truth. Indy smiled in return and held out a hand to his son.

"This way up."

Mutt's smile actually reached his eyes this time and he grabbed his dad's hand, allowing himself to be hauled up.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()


	3. Two Sides

**Synopsis:** [KotCS] Mutt and Indy get into a fight over Mutt's most recent 'incident' at school. When Mutt runs away, whose will is stronger; father or son's?

**Author's Notes:** This is set about six months after KotCS.

**Disclaimer:** I obviously do not own Indiana Jones, any of the related characters or any of Spielberg's and Lucas' intelligence.

**Characters:** Mutt Williams, Indiana Jones. _**Mentioned**_ : Trent Bachelor, Marion Ravenwood, Harold Oxley.

**Words:** 1, 808

**Note** : _italics_ refer to flashbacks as well as thoughts, though thoughts are written in speech marks.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

Fifteen minutes later, Mutt and Indy were seated at the local burger joint, burgers in hand and fries sitting, steaming on the table. The delicious aroma was enough to make Mutt's stomach painfully remind him that he was hungry - he had missed dinner after all. The first bite was pure heaven to his grumbling and hollow insides. For a time they simply sat together, eating in a comfortable and contented silence that held only a tiny shadow of foreboding hanging over it.

When Mutt had finished his burger - satisfying his appetite for a while at least - his eyes met his dad's and he knew that things were about to get serious. He shifted slightly in discomfort.

"So," Indy started, wiping his mouth with a provided napkin. "You wanna tell me what happened today Junior? And I don't just mean out there in the alley, though that seems to be an interesting story too."

Mutt nervously tugged on the sleeve of his saturated leather jacket, definitely unsure of how this would all turn out. Lifting his eyes to meet Indy's once more, he took a deep, calming breath and began to explain.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_Mutt slung his bag over his shoulder and walked towards the stairs leading to the first level. It was lunchtime - one of his least favourite times of the school day - and he was eager to get away from the majority of the school population._

" _Hey Mutt!"_

_With a groan he turned and saw Trent Bachelor approaching him, pals close behind. The students in the immediate vicinity did one of three things:_

_1\. Get away as fast as possible._

_2\. Crowd around in anticipation, eager for an on-coming fight._

_Or_

_3\. Run to find the nearest teacher._

_Needless to say that the third option was the least popular. Most people either wanted nothing to do with the fights or always wanted to be near the action._

" _What do you want Trent?" Mutt asked sharply, his body tense._

" _Nothing," he answered in a smug voice. "Just thought you'd want to know that we don't think Doctor Jones is your real dad. Honestly, we think your mom got around so often that she just leeched onto whatever poor bastard was closest. She probably doesn't even know who your_ real _dad is."_

_There were snickers from members of the crowd, alerting Mutt to the fact that they agreed with Trent._

_Mutt felt his hackles rise at the proud smirk that was now plastered onto Trent's face and with an animalistic growl, he threw himself at Trent. Trent was obviously not expecting such an impulsive response because he took a step back and left himself completely open._

_Mutt grabbed Trent's collar, glad for the first time that didn't have his switchblade - his parents had taken it off him after the incident with Trent's car - because he was seriously wanting to stick it into this jerk. Instead, he opted for forcefully shoving Trent into the window behind, sending Trent's head smashing into the glass, splinters and shards flying everywhere. Mutt could still feel his blood boiling in simmering anger and so he pulled Trent back from the window and threw him across the hall, grinning in delight - '_ this is wrong' _\- as Trent stumbled over the top step and proceeded to fall down the entire flight of stairs._

_There were gasps from on-lookers everywhere; people taking hasty steps away from the enraged Jones kid. The gasps broke through Mutt's anger and as he reached the top of the staircase, the red film of anger lifted from his eyes and his breath came in short pants._

_It was at this moment, Trent lying at the bottom of the stairs with Mutt standing what looked like victoriously at the top, that a student returned with a teacher in tow. Option three may have been the least popular option but that didn't stop it from being the most annoying._

" _Henry Jones III!" the teacher bellowed._

" _Shit."_

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"I really thought I'd get expelled," Mutt admitted, "and so I was going to try and talk my way out of it but mom always said it was important to tell the truth no matter what. Then the teach' came back, gave me a suspension and said I was lucky for having you as my dad cos it meant I got off lightly."

And with that, Mutt lapsed into silence, waiting for Indy's reply with baited breath. He risked a glance up and saw that his dad looked as mixed up as he felt. Anger, pity, frustration, understanding, pride and disbelief danced across his face. Mutt sneezed and placed his tired, heavy head on his arms while Indy thought everything over.

Indy watched his son critically, brain sifting through and analysing everything he had just been told. There were several rather _large_ contradictions between Mutt's story and the story the school's teacher had told him. Call him biased, but he was feeling pretty inclined to believe Mutt's story. After all, Mutt couldn't lie to save his life - not that he ever wanted his son to be in a situation where it would. Indy carefully reached out a hand, gently ruffling Mutt's hair with it.

"Don't worry," he said over Mutt's moans of protest. "I believe you son."

"You do?" Mutt's head jerked up in surprise. Indy chuckled.

"Yeah I do. Sorry for not listening to you earlier. I'll take note of that."

Mutt just nodded, a genuine smile on his face. Then he sneezed again and Indy furrowed his brow in worry.

"You coming down with something Junior?"

Mutt shrugged and Indy rolled his eyes.

"Well if you will go walking around in the rain."

"Whose idea was it to get a burger and stay in wet clothes?"

Indy scratched the back of his head guiltily; he should have thought of that.

"Alright then, let's go home."

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

By the time they got home, Mutt's head was feeling decidedly stuffy and he was making a habit of wiping his nose on his sleeve, much to Indy's disgust and annoyance. As soon as they got inside, Indy went to the bathroom to collect some warm towels while Mutt rummaged for some dry clothes in amongst the heap on the floor. Indy returned and placed the towel on Mutt's bed.

"The sooner you get out of those clothes, the sooner you'll feel better," Indy commented when Mutt made no move to change.

The boy looked around in a fidgety manner and Indy couldn't help but roll his eyes again - they were both men weren't they? Mutt eventually mumbled something that vaguely resembled 'okay' and pulled off his wet shirt, quickly pulling on a dry shirt. Unfortunately, he didn't complete the change fast enough.

Indy leapt over as soon as he saw the bruises that were haphazardly littered over his son's back. Some were fresh, no doubt from tonight's fight, while others ranged from a few days old to a few weeks old. Not to mention that a significant number of them looked particularly painful.

"Mutt," he said in a dangerously low voice.

"It's nothing," he replied, trying to tug his shirt down.

Indy stopped him with a hand and let his other ghost over his son's back. Turning him around gingerly, Indy realised that the marks were the same, if not worse, on Mutt's chest. He could feel rage beginning to build up inside of him. No one harmed _his_ son.

"It's not nothing! Who did this?" he asked - even though he was pretty sure of the answer already he needed to hear it from Mutt himself. Mutt shifted his weight, hating being put on the spot.

"Just Trent," he murmured. When Indy opened his mouth he quickly cut in again. "Please…just don't make a scene alright? It's nothing I can't handle over time. And please, don't tell mom, she'd have a cow."

Indy had a million things to say to that but they all vanished when Mutt suddenly took the liberty of fainting right then and there. He quickly caught the boy and carried him over to the bed. Indy placed a hand on Mutt's forehead and winced at the heat radiating off it. Marion would not be happy.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

**3 Days Later**

Mutt blinked blearily at the harsh sunlight entering his room. He groaned and then the stinging light was hidden by curtains being pulled closed. He let his eyes focus and he saw his dad leaning over him.

"You okay Junior? You've been out of it for a few days."

"I'm fine," Mutt slurred. "Still a bit tired though."

"No rush to get up," Indy said simply, smoothing down Mutt's blankets absently. "Your mom and I have been talking-"

"Mom's home?" he interrupted.

"Are you kidding? Came home as soon as she heard the words 'Mutt' and 'sick' in the same sentence. I didn't tell her about…well, you know, Trent and everything."

Mutt nodded. "Thanks dad. I don't want her spacing out."

"I never told you," Indy recalled with a smile. "I'm proud of you for standing up for your mom like that at school."

Mutt blushed at the unexpected praise, looking away.

"So…uh, you and mom were talking…" he repeated, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," Indy agreed. "We decided…well, how would you like to be home-schooled by your mom and me, and maybe even Oxley; that is, if you think you could stay awake."

Mutt's eyes widened in disbelief. Indy cracked a wide smile, a spark in his eyes.

"It gets better," he said, almost laughing at the way Mutt was practically hanging off his every word. "We thought that maybe once a week you could do a half-day and spend that other half working on that bike of yours. What do you say? It's all up for grabs."

Mutt just stared at him, completely overwhelmed. Then he had his arms around Indy in a - definitely, definitely, definitely manly - hug. Indy patted his son on the back and ruffled his hair, laughing shorty when Mutt pulled back and attempted to fix his hair.

The glow on his son's face was enough for Indy; he'd made the right choice. An invisible line had been crossed. He was now on the way to be being seen by Mutt as his father and everyday Mutt became his son more and more. Maybe being a dad wasn't as hard as he'd originally thought; all it took as a deflation in ego, less stubbornness and some compromise.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

Three months later, Mutt was sitting at the back of one of his dad's lectures, dutifully taking notes and taking rapt attention. His bike stood gleaming in the parking lot outside and the Ox was coming for the weekend. He wasn't alone anymore, and he wasn't a failure. He was home.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()


End file.
